Benton County has implemented provisions of chapter 42.56 RCW relating to public records of the County through chapter 5.14 of the Benton County Code.The purpose of Benton County Code 5.14 is to provide rules for the County to implement provisions of chapter 42.56 RCW and provide guidance to the public in obtaining access to public records, either for inspection or copying of non-exempt public records.

Benton County Code 5.14 is not intended to provide rules for access to court documents as chapter 42.56 RCW does not apply to court documents.This code is also not intended to provide rules regarding access to public records of the State of Washington or the federal government, such as the Judicial Information System (JIS) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), even though these documents may be available at computer stations located in Benton County.

Chapter 5.14, Public Records, by which the County fulfills public records requests pursuant to RCW 42.56, may be viewed below: